


Lucifer's Brand: Prophesy of the Fallen

by LucifersLady



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-29
Updated: 2015-09-04
Packaged: 2018-04-17 21:49:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4682639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucifersLady/pseuds/LucifersLady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ravaged by an unknown assailant, you are rescued by Castiel and brought to the bunker to heal.<br/>but if the monster is dead why do they still refuse to let you go home? what secret are they hiding from you?<br/>With a past shrouded in mystery and a future you can't see, how will you fair when enemies from the past come calling, and one simple night outside turns into a fight to reclaim memories of  a life that was locked away.<br/>and for good reason.<br/>now you are on a journey of redemption, and revenge. To find the secret behind Lucifer's Brand, and the sins of the past, you will have to travel between worlds, and forge new bonds, or die alone in the darkness.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Home Free

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Save_Your_Brother_And_My_Unicorn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Save_Your_Brother_And_My_Unicorn/gifts), [MorningstarGabriella](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MorningstarGabriella/gifts).



> This work is dedicated to MorningstarGabriella and Save_your_brother_and_my_unicorn for having amazing Lucifer fics and making me want to write my own!!
> 
> so this started as a free write prompt to get my juices flowing and now I've got one hell of a story for you!!
> 
> It starts off a little slow, but bear with me because by chapter three....lets just say MIND. BLOWN.
> 
> ;) comments suggestions and critiques are welcomed and appreciated!!
> 
> ((ALSO: there will eventually be cursing, sexual content and graphic violence so please be aware! i will post a warning in the summary of any chapters containing questionable content so if you no like, skip it ;) ))

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> stressed out with the loong arguements between your rescuers you sneak off for some peace and quiet.

You swiped your hand across your face, reaching the limit of your patience. You had stayed with the boys for several weeks now and all you heard in the last week was arguing and fighting.   
    Even when you stormed off to your room the echoes of their drama radiated through the bunker’s hallways. Finally you groaned out loud and sat up from your bed, you were going to go insane if you didn’t get some time away from these yahoos!  
   You thought you should probably leave a note; they were known to be overly cautious (understatement of the century) when it came to safety. You scrawled a hasty note  


**Can’t think with all the arguing**  
going for a walk  
be back later

 

You sigh and lay it on your bed, then walk out towards the kitchen area, as you pass the library the voices get louder and you stop to see what the issue is this time. You were never included fully in the workings of their schemes, pretty much they kept you on a need to know basis, and apparently you didn’t need to know much, so you just gleaned bits and pieces from the increasingly frequent arguments.  
 Inside, Sam and Dean were almost nose to nose motioning occasionally to something you couldn’t see.  You didn’t particularly like when the random visitors came to call but today you would kill for an angel intervention from Castiel, before your brain imploded.  
  You had only met him a few times, apparently he had been the one to rescue you from whatever had nearly killed you; and brought you here, to the bunker, to be kept safe. He made you feel uncomfortable though, and you felt a little bad considering he had saved your life. It was just…the way he looked at you…it was like he was waiting for something to happen; and for some reason it gave you Goosebumps.  
  
    You sighed, you could rarely understand what Sam and Dean were arguing about, this time from the few snatches you could decipher Sam wanted to reveal something important and Dean was against it. You didn’t feel like getting your head bitten off so you moved on towards the heavy steel entrance to the bunker. After slipping out as quietly as possible you shut it again, it made a dull clank but otherwise you had been silent. You sighed gratefully into the cool **_quiet_** night air. You were amazed how beautiful quiet could be.  
    You hadn’t had a plan when making your escape, simply choosing to wander wherever your feet took you. The boys had forbidden any un-chaperoned ventures outside the bunker, but still wouldn’t tell you exactly what was supposed to be so dangerous to you.  
      You ended up heading west, toward a large field overgrown with wild grass and pockets of wild flowers.  It looked so peaceful and you felt like it was drawing you in, so you meandered slowly through the tall grass looking up at the night sky.  You had an after image, like remembering a childhood dream, of a large expanse of greenery; flowers and trees from all different times and places pushing through.  
  You often had these moments, where everything seemed fluid and you had flashes of places you’d never been, and people you didn’t know. You had stopped mentioning it to the boys; it only seemed to upset them.  
   You sighed, when you had first been rescued by the Winchesters and brought to the bunker they were gentle and patient with you but you were recovered from your injuries and the arguments had become increasingly frequent. Their anger wasn’t directed at you, but you had begun to suspect it did have something to do with you.  
      They wouldn’t tell you everything, only enough so you knew that whatever had nearly killed you was one of many things they hunted and put an end to.  
  You knew there was more, a lot more, that they held back from you, but you probably didn’t want to know anyway. You were trying to be respectful and helpful to the men that saved your life…but you wanted to go home. Dean kept saying the same thing every time you brought up leaving  
“It’s just dangerous right now, as soon as it’s safe for you we’ll get you home.”  
You knew there was something off, hadn’t they killed whatever attacked you? You had very limited memories about the attack, just blood and pain. What were they hiding?  
  
     You sighed and gingerly sat down, the long grass made a cushion as you lay back and you were surprised by how comfortable it was; maybe this could be your new spot to get away from everything.  
  Slowly your eyes drifted closed, and you just lay quietly, listening to the sounds of the night. A bird called softly somewhere in the field, there were small scuffling noises all around where mice, bugs, and small creatures milled around; probably in search of food. Before you realized it, you were fast asleep.


	2. Rabbit holes and Angel Feathers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake from your nap to find yourself in a strange new place. A frightening encounter leads you to wander, but where was home and how were you going to get back there?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i wrote this all at once and ive edited a dozen times, would love feedback as the big bombshells come next chapter and i want to make sure i have good lead up ;)  
> hope you enjoy!!  
> ((and for all my luci lovers, he is coming! just not for a few chapters >_

   You woke slowly, aware that you were no longer comfortable; it felt like you had been sleeping on rocks. Your eyes fluttered open, at first you were confused, and then alarmed as you rose to your feet.  
     You looked around, unsure where you were; one thing was sure, you were no longer in the field. You felt panic start to bubble in your chest as your body turned slowly, all around you was thick trees and low bushes, you looked up but the stars were covered by the thick canopy. There was no path, just trees and fog-covered gloom. You wanted to call out to Dean or Sam, but you were logical enough to guess they wouldn’t hear you; and fearful enough to guess something else might.  
   After a long moment’s pause, you slowly ventured forward; or at least what you hoped was forward. Your eyes darted all around, watching where you walked while trying not to let anything sneak up on you. You wondered if this was somehow what the boys were afraid would happen; but how could they know you would be magically teleported to some creepy forest? Was this a monster thing?  
   You heard a twig snap and spun toward the sound; you thought you saw a pair of blue eyes watching from the darkness and you thought they looked vaguely… familiar…  
  “H-hello? Can you help me?”  
the eyes bobbed closer through the trees and slowly an outline formed roughly the size of a man, as it slower drew closer you saw a pair of dark wings separate from the gloom and finally you recognized the angel.  
  “Castiel! Thank god! Where are we?”  
He tilted his head, looking at you curiously, but he didn’t act as if he recognized you. You started to feel a warning bell go off in the back of your mind…something was off.  
  “Run.”  
It was his gruff voice but it didn’t make sense, run?   
“What do you mean? Run where? Run from what?”  
    You begged him to explain, but he was still as a statue. You blinked away the tears that began to form…but he was gone. You let out a sound of horror and disbelief. How could he just leave like that?!  
You stumbled forward in a panic to where he had stood and looked around in wild desperation.  
“Castiel! Castiel please come back! I….”  
you shouted but there was no response in the gloom, you saw something and knelt down, it was a steely grey feather; you had to assume it was Castiel’s.  
No…Castiel’s wings were black…so who…?  
You let out a soft sniffle, trying to keep the tears at bay.  
“I’m scared.”  
A flicker of memory; screaming, fear, and hands covered in blood. You trembled slightly, where had that come from…the attack? You weren’t sure, but you felt bile rising as your panic grew. You looked around again, trying to find anything that might help you escape the gloomy forest.  
    That’s when you spotted it, another feather! It was a few yards past the first and you raced toward it and picked it up, you looked around again and…YES! Another one! Was Castiel leaving a trail to guide you? Or was it a trap?  
  You would just have to trust (and pray) that it was Castiel’s doing. You quickly pushed forward, searching for the next feather and, hopefully, a way home.

 

You walked and walked but the forest all looked the same, you found a feather here and there along the trail you pushed through the bracken; but if anything it felt like it was getting even darker. You started getting jumpy, hearing strange whispers too quiet to hear; half formed warnings that you couldn’t understand.  
   You began to think you were doomed to wander forever in the unending gloom when you spotted a break in the trees ahead, you cried out in excitement and hurried forward. You were panting with exertion but you had this warning buzz that warned you to keep going. Castiel’s warning repeating in your head.  
  
 _Run.         Run.          Run._

You skittered into a clearing and stopped short, looking around in amazed silence. The clearing wasn’t a circle, but rather a star, the trees grouped to give each of the clearing’s edges a sharp point.  
Right in the center stood a tall tree weighed down with large apples, your stomach reminded you it had been a long time since you had eaten and you carefully moved forward, eyes darting around the open space to ensure no one could sneak up on you.  
    You stopped at the base of the tree and studied it, trying to make sure it was safe to eat and wasn’t some sort of trap. The fruit looked ripe and inviting, and nothing jumped out at you so you gingerly reached up and plucked one of the fruits from the tree. You hesitated but all was still quiet, and you took a bite.  
   It was intensely sweet and you smiled despite your ominous circumstances, you weren’t big on fruit but for some reason it was the best thing you had eaten in a long time. You took another bite and started collecting a few to tuck in your pockets for later. You weren’t sure how you got here, but best to be sensible until you found a way back home.   
  
     You stopped at that thought, where was home? You felt panic bubble in your chest, why couldn’t you remember? No matter how hard you concentrated you couldn’t remember where you were trying so hard to get back to. You had flashes that made little sense. Kind green eyes…and then they morphed to shocking ice blue. The clank of a metal door…and then blood…nothing but fire and blood.  
   You shuddered and shut away the disturbing images; maybe this place was messing with your head…  
You chucked the core of the apple you had consumed at the base of the tree and wiped the sweat from your forehead with the sleeve of your shirt. You may not be able to remember the specifics, but you still felt the alarm in your gut that begged to press on. Wherever home was, it sure as hell wasn’t here.


	3. Memories and the mark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You continue to try and find a way out of this forest, as more and more memories slip away. In their place you find snatches of memories, that weren't your own. As an unseen hand guides you, you slowly start to reclaim who you really are.  
> but who is pulling the strings, and what do they have in store for you now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH! so here's the first big reveal chapter! i still want some mysteries but you get a great grasp on the story from here. looking forward to any comments, suggestions, or critiques!

   You stumbled on an upturned root; it had been hours since your stop at the mysterious apple tree and still there was nothing but dense forest; nothing but deep, oppressive silence. The whispers had faded as you left the apple tree, and hadn’t returned. You felt your muscles aching but pushed it to the back of your mind, still Castiel’s words ran like a drum beat through your tired brain.  
  
_Run.       Run.      Run.       Run._  
  
It was strange, you couldn’t remember where home was, but you remembered Castiel. You knew it was important that you get back, but not why. It seemed like all your memories, the ones that mattered, were growing blurry around the edges. Leaking through the cracks and fading away. Or maybe something about this forest was locking them away, leaving you an empty cup; but to be filled with what?

Right now the only thing you were filled with was dread; instinct said you did not want to be caught out here alone. You needed to find a way out before…  
  before whatever caused this feeling of terror in your gut caught up with you.  


 

You had slowed some, your body reaching the edges of your limits, but mostly because you made less sound that way. It was obvious by now you would not be reaching the edge anytime soon…maybe ever.  
So it was important to save your strength and not be caught too weak to defend yourself.  
  
You found yourself overcome at odd moments by something akin to a daydream. Some of them were nice, a gentle hand on your skin, faraway words from petal shaped lips  
“Welcome, young seraphim.”  
You weren’t sure what a seraph was, but maybe you had seen a movie with it, or gleaned it from an overheard conversation.  
  Other times you felt as if you walked among a million other people, each tree growing eyes and looking right through you; In the midst of a throng and so very, very alone. Those were the times you stopped, you were never sure for how long but eventually you would surface, tears in your eyes and fear in your heart.  
 You weren’t quite sure why the image terrified you so, it was not altogether so frightening to be invisible to others…but it left an unsettling taste of bile in the back of your throat and caused your hair to stand on end.  
   after one such time you looked around after coming to your senses, your hair was matted against your throat with sweat, whether from the exercise or your increasingly frequent moments of unawareness you weren’t sure, but something was different…  
   up until now the forest had always been silent but for the small sounds of your passage, no bugs, no scuttling of rodents, no birds…but as you looked you heard an unfamiliar sound, it was made all the louder in the unearthly quiet.  
   It was a soft voice, perhaps a young girl, singing beautifully in a strange language. It was familiar, the words, as if you had once known them in childhood but after years of neglect had been forgotten.  
And then, without any conscious intention to…you started to sing along. Your voice was somber, as if it was a dirge, and you felt burning at the edges of your vision.  
  Once you sang the strange chorus, twice, and as you began the third time the words cleared and you understood what you were singing in this eerie duet with a ghost whisper.  
  
_“Beware the light of the Morningstar_  
lest you question who you are  
beware the counsel of the fallen prince  
Locked away for his sins  
Locked away forever more  
Waiting to settle the score  
  
only one chance for recompense  
given by father to the unholy prince  
a soul, just one, so pure and true  
torn asunder and wrenched in two  
growing to fruit in light and dark  
until one bears Lucifer’s mark  
On that day he will walk anew  
but only if the words ring true”  
  
The song drifted off into silence, and the voice remained silent after. The words confused and frightened you; it was not the lullaby it once seemed. It seemed more like a warning. Like a legend?  
  
a whisper ghosted past your ear, and you shivered  
_“A Prophecy”_  
  
 You felt strange and gingerly reached up to touch your cheek; and felt panicked as your fingers came back stained; stained a crimson red.  
  You were crying…crying tears of blood…  
you dropped to your knees, pain tearing through your heart as memories that weren’t your own forced you under waves of agony.  
  

 _A small cherub face, a young girl, and a snow white hand held tight in your own; standing before a magnificent slightly-older man with deep Crimson wings. ”welcome young seraphim, and syragh.”_  
  
you flinch as the memories fade out and back into focus, like an old movie reel  it was hard to bring one into focus long enough to understand it.

  
_A large gathering in a large pearly white amphitheatre, the girl {looking to be older by a margin} and you both were raised high on a platform for all to see. She was crying, you squeezed her fingers and gingerly stroked her steely grey wings with an ice white wing of your own, the stark contrast creating a brilliant design as you comforted her._  
  
a flash of long ago fear ripped through you, as if it really was you standing so high up, the faces surrounding the girls alert and somber. Like witnesses at a trial. At a hanging. Why did all these people have wings?   Were they…were they Angels, like Castiel?  
  
_A tall and impressive man stood proudly in front of a small group of others, all were bound and made to kneel but the first. The Crimson-wing stood before them all with angry eyes that brimmed with unabashed tears._  
_A somber, broken voice; Michael’s voice rang out for all to hear. His Crimson wings folded in sorrow._  
_“You are charged with rebellion…”_  
_the standing prisoner spread six pairs of wings in a myriad of golden shades out to the sky, shouting abuse and accusations._  
_The older angel turned his face as if it pained him too much, but you could not. You felt yourself begin to push through the crowd, until finally you burst forth into the copious circle between the crowd and the accused._

 _You watched as he was hurled down down down; locked away for an eternity. And more._  
_The crowd of bound insurrectionists screamed, some cried, as Lucifer was thrown to the cage._  
_One by one they too, fell. Amid your shock you looked back at one particular angel, the reason you had come at all. One who looked at you with fear and panic as you stood, frozen._  
      In your haze you felt the dream-you drop to her knees just as you did; and her hand shot up to grasp her forearm, shouting in pain; the other angels that surrounded you hadn't moved, they looked on as if you weren't even there.  
   You watched, frozen by the pain radiating from your arm…as your brother was hurled into the pit by Michael. Watched as his wings were consumed by fire, and his screams rang to the top of heaven. For a crime he did not commit.  
    And a face consumed you then. The girl from your visions…older now, and haughty; her steel grey wings folded prim and proper behind her. As she watched them fall. Watched them burn…Watched them with a polite smile.  
            You shouted one name, just as now; pained and brought to your knees you screamed it amid your strangled sobs.  
You had comforted her, taken a horrible fate for her...  
and in return she had betrayed your brother...Betrayed you!  
  
Your sad sister…your twin.  
the one who had locked away your memories and your grace.  
the one who had accidentally trapped you as a human...when she meant to kill you.  
The one who was going to ****_PAY_  
You screamed her name to the darkness in anguish and hatred.  
and Lucifer’s mark burned like a brand on your arm once again

“NAOMI!!”

 

 

  
{close by in the shadows}  
  
a lone figure slide silently as a serpent through the gloom of Purgatory, keeping the barrier between you and the beasties; they couldn't sense you and you couldn't sense them. This was all dramatic effect after all, her master needed you whole and healthy...and with your memory intact. Purgatory was a place where the bonds between worlds were stronger, and it was easier for things to bleed through, like stolen memories.  
  
  She heard your pained shout and grinned wickedly, her tongue flicking out to lick her soft lips.

**_all according to plan._ **

She waited for the sobs to quiet and slowly moved forward, looking to be assured that you had retreated into the relief of unconsciousness before approaching. Her orders were clear: do not engage.  
Gingerly she pressed two fingers to your temple, sighing in a sarcastic way  
  
"We've been looking everywhere for you Peaches."

she cooed, chuckling darkly as she reached down, yanking your arm up with her spare hand so she could see the blistering mark that had appeared on your arm.  
It had taken years of quiet watching before she had chanced upon your sent, by luck. Whoever had found the lost lamb had kept you locked up good and tight, not a scent for ages. Poor dumb girl had no idea that you were being hunted by the most powerful beings in the universe...and decided to take a nap. The mark still felt scorching to touch and she whistled her appreciation, she was going to be richly rewarded when she brought back this prize...but first, back to the real world.  
  
You still had some growing to do before the plan could progress. Now that you remembered...it was time for you to do something about it.

only then would the seed grow dark enough to be harvested.  
  
she focused and a second later you were lying again in the field where you had originally slept. Weeks had passed on earth and the Winchesters and their little boyfriend still searched for you and a remedy for what new trouble was rising from hell.  
  


she chuckled and removed her fingers from your face, dusting off her leather pants. With one movement she zapped an annonymous note into the trench coat of a certain dorky angel. He'd find you soon enough.  
  
"See you soon Clarence"  
  
she muttered with a small smirk and disappeared. Waiting in the wings for the fun to begin.


	4. Agony and forshadowing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you have returned, but when Castiel comes in response to a strange note, he is shocked by what he finds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah! im having so much fun writing this! more flashbacks and explainers to come. i would desperately enjoy any critiques or requests!!
> 
> enjoy :) this chapter is a little short but thats because the next one is HUGE.

_{Castiel}_

__  
Castiel sensed it when you reappeared on earth, they had been searching for weeks but he had checked all of creation and you just weren’t there.  You had gone beyond the veil, as he had feared you might.  
He was unsure if you had been taken, or gone yourself by accident. It was unlikely you had retrieved your powers and memories enough to use your latent powers on purpose.  
   The only question was who had you, and in what shape you had returned.   
He walked cautiously; it seemed you had reappeared in the same place you had disappeared from, a field not too far from the bunker.  
        He had been a hairs-breadth from raining hell down on the Winchesters when he answered their urgent prayers, hadn’t he made it clear how important it was that you were kept safe and ignorant?  
   All you had left was a note and a fading trail that abruptly ended a mile or so down the road. You were just…gone. He had been tasked with your protection after the failed attempt on your life, but you remembered nothing and seemed to think you were simply a human when you awoke. How could he protect you and unravel the multitude of hidden agendas surrounding you when you had no memory?  
  He was failing miserably at his mission, and even he only had a slim view of the bigger picture.  
  
As he approached he saw you lying seemingly unconscious on the soft grass, but he couldn’t be sure if it was you, or if you had been manipulated in your absence. Gingerly he kneeled beside you, it was indeed you but something seemed…   
He had kept a close eye on you over the weeks, to ensure you did not show any signs of remembering your past life or reconnecting to your powers and for all those weeks, you hadn’t. Sometimes though…You seemed to remember pieces, but thought they were dreams; or look at him in a way that reminded him of when you and he…  
   he shook his head, that was a long time ago, and he knew it was unlikely to return to that way even if you somehow managed to remember everything.  
  He touched your forehead gently with two fingers, summoning a pool of grace so he could delve into your mind and see if it was undamaged and uncorrupted but he was surprised as your eyes ripped open as his grace touched your skin, and instead of the pale green he had started to get used to…they shined with a brilliant white light; and only one type of being had those eyes.  
   You flipped onto the balls of your feet in one cat-like motion and your fingers wrapped around his throat. Luckily, for Castiel, you were still human; even though your body remembered your training and the power…there was no follow through. Not without your power, until then you were simply a strong, fast, human. No threat to the angel.  
   The light filtered out of your eyes and Castiel stayed still, trying not to startle you again. Your movements were far more graceful and deliberate.   
   You must have recovered a piece of who you were.  
  
He considered calling your human name, but he wanted to test his theory…instead whispering your old name, your first name in an obvious question.   
  


“Amitiel?”  
  
  


{you}

You flinched away, fingers ripping away from his throat to cover your ears as if the name caused you pain to hear. You backed away a few steps, clutching your head as it pounded; your head felt like it was being squeezed and stabbed.  
You hadn’t recognized him at first. Was that Castiel? You felt new…no, not new, old…old memories. Castiel but much younger…in his true form…How was this possible?  
You had just sensed a strong grace coming toward you and had reacted on instint. Grace meant angels…Angels meant danger.  
   The flashes of memory from the forest were fighting inside your head with your human body and mind. Was this real? Or were your day dreams and nightmares really…memories?  
  
   It was all so confusing, so painful. Your human brain couldn’t fathom the feeling of how wings felt spread behind you, or the rush of your power in flight. The gap between humanity and angels was large, and your body and mind were tearing themselves apart trying to make up for the strain of the new memories.  
  
You felt your lips forming of their own accord, trying to make sense of the rush of strange thoughts and memories by Whispering half formed names and words. Eyes still shut against the pain.   
“Ho-Holy….host…Prophecy…-ifer…No…not her…t-trapped…veil betw-…Xephan!”  
  
Your eyes shot wide and you shouted the last name, and you dropped back to your knees, hands falling to your sides limply.  
It repeated over and over in your mind, accompanied by an image of a scared young Angel, falling…falling…  
You remember screaming his name and weeping because no one could hear you. No one could help you.   
**_XEPHAN!_**  
  
You remembered him screaming…screaming for you.   
**_Amitiel help me please!_**  
    

You remembered…everything.

 

{Castiel}

Castiel was frightened at the sudden change in your demeanor. One minute you were hostile and defensive…then you were gripped in agony…and then you just…dropped.  
  He rushed forward to kneel beside you, shaking you gently but your eyes were far away, lost.  
He had tried so hard to keep you ignorant, to keep you safe. He had forbidden the Winchesters to tell you anything lest it trigger your memories.  
    It would kill you if he couldn’t retrieve your power somehow, or found a way to protect your mind from the overpowering memories. Just like Sam, when he returned from his time in the cage, some memories were best left forgotten.  
    He picked you up in his arms with ease; you were still limp, murmuring the same words over and over in a dead-sounding whisper. The mark on your arm laid Black and thick; a detailed design that looked like a star with too many points.  
  Castiel focused his power and you both disappeared, back to the bunker where, Castiel hoped, a solution could be found.  
  The ghost of your whispers floated away on the breeze, carrying it to a watching pair of eyes and ears.  
She smirked into the darkness and turned away, humming a tune that sounded suspiciously like the song from the forest.  
  Repeating your words cheerfully as she blinked and was gone

 _“Beware…Beware…”_  
  
a ghost of a laugh rang through the empty trees and your whisper faded into the dark  
  
“ _The Morningstar rises”_


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel thinks about your past and the difference between the truth and what he's been told.   
> But when he has a brilliant epiphany he and Dean are off to find what may be your only hope to recover.

The next day you still lay, unseeing and unmoving, on your bed in the bunker. You were awake, but unable to control your body, lost in a mind too over-filled. Dean had said it was something that happened to humans sometimes when they just couldn’t handle the reality they faced.  
_Catatonic_  
  
Castiel was once again searching heaven and earth for a way to protect your mind from the memories, or return your powers to you; it was the only way to find out the truth and find the right path.  
However, because you were supposed to be dead, his inquiries and research had to be very carefully met.   
   He was unsure what had really happened to you, he knew the “official” version from his superiors, he also knew the “real” version he had received when taking you into his care after you were smuggled out of heaven. He had been a servant of heaven for too long to think that either one was; for lack of a better phrase, the God’s honest truth.  
  

      He blinked and he was sitting beside you again, he checked in every few hours, concerned you may be lost when he wasn’t looking. To be honest, he was surprised you were even conscious; it shouldn’t even be possible for you to become human anymore... let alone retain your old memories without it killing you. Not if what he had been told were true. Everything about this was wrong; it was supposed to be possible.  
    Once again he faced the task of questioning things he had always believed to be true. He had been told long ago you were killed…millennia ago…where had you been all that time?  
According to heaven, you were hiding, a willing deserter, and a traitor. Like Balthazar had become.  
According to your rescuers you were a victim, trapped and silenced until your rescue.  
Was anything he had been told in heaven true?

  
    You had stopped the mumbled warning you had repeated over and over, the hair had risen on the back of Castiel’s neck when he heard you whispering it repeatedly  
  
Beware, the Morningstar rises.  
  
There was not an angel in creation who wouldn’t know what that meant. Even Sam and Dean had understood the gravity of your murmured warnings when Castiel had reappeared in the bunker with you in his arms.  
Something was brewing, and both heaven and hell had a hand to play, but for all of this to center around one fallen, although according to his sources…you were not even fallen.   
If your anonymous rescuers were to be believed…You had become Syragh… the Gate Keeper. You weren’t even an angel anymore if they were right.   
  
   Gingerly he reached to lift your arm, turning it so your fore-arm was visible. The black stain that crawled across your flesh was detailed, and permanent. Seared into not only your body but into your very soul. He knew you hadn’t had this before you disappeared long ago, but what was its meaning? How had you been so deeply branded?  
  It seemed the deeper he dug all he got in return was more unanswered questions. He wished he could just take the pain like he had with Sam, but it wouldn’t work.   
     He looked down at you and sighed, looking frustrated. The more Castiel learned the more confused he became, but if you were indeed Syragh, it would explain why heaven would want you locked away, why hell wanted you so badly and why he couldn’t help you. Syragh were said to be intangible though…unable to be seen or heard by any being. It was how they were kept pure and unbiased, no contact with any being except the souls they ferried between worlds.   
   So how had you been turned human? How had you been injured? It wasn’t supposed to be possible!  
He went over all the old tales he had heard over the millennia. Tales of Syragh were not many, mostly whispers built off whispers. It was a taboo subject in heaven.  
   They used to say reaper’s true forms were built in the image of the Syragh, a skeletal-looking angel that no one but the souls could see. That bright white light Dean had once described in his run-in with Tessa…that is the Syragh. The Reapers bring the souls to Syragh…and Syragh is the judge, the anvil. They decide where the soul is to go: Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory.  
    No one knows exactly what they are, or how they came to be, only legends. Only stories.  
who would know? If angel’s who had been around since creations were ignorant…  
  
Castiel suddenly jumped to his feet, so shocked by his epiphany he was unsure what to do with himself.  
  
Reapers…reapers would have contact with the Syragh when they ferried the souls! He needed to talk to a reaper!  
  
With a triumphant grin he looked down at you, touching your cheek for only a moment  
“I will return.”  
  
He blinked and he was next to Dean in the library, he didn’t even jump anymore, he was used to Castiel’s entrances by now.   
  
Sam was deep in a book and didn’t even look up, he had been feeling guilty, castiel knew, because of what happened to you. They had been arguing over whether you had a right to know what they knew…and now it didn’t matter.  
  Sam barely ate or slept, whatever time he was not reading he sat by your bedside. Castiel had watched, invisible, a few times. Sam spoke of his time after hell, when his hallucinations of the cage had tormented him. When he had gone through the same thing you battled now.   
Perhaps he felt connected by the pain of memories that are too much to bear, perhaps he felt responsible. Castiel thought maybe it was both.  
  
He turned to Dean however, explaining his idea to Dean, who seemed uncomfortable at the idea of going looking for reapers as their last few incidents involving reapers usually ended…badly.  
  
“This is the only lead we have Dean. We have to get answers or she will die and we have no way of knowing what’s coming.”  
  
Dean sighed, obviously rattled by Castiel’s serious and morbid answer. Finally he groaned and slammed shut his book, which finally popped Sam out of his reading. They both gave each other a long look before sam answered whatever silent question dean had asked  
“I’ll stay, keep an eye on her and research. Don’t let your guard down.”  
obviously sam had been listening after all.

Castiel reached to place a hand on his friend’s shoulder, Dean sighing, tired of the unending circle of “let’s save the world” but knowing he couldn’t just let it go down without putting up a fight.  
  
“Let’s go find a reaper.”  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay! im going to do a little explanation that will shed a little light on exactly what a syragh is, it kind of forshadows some things but didnt want anyone confused going forward! ((i think of this kind of like an omnipotent narrator intervention lol))
> 
> Syragh: something between an angel and a reaper. It looks like a being of light with a dark skeletal body. They are trusted to guard the veils that separate heaven, earth, hell and purgatory. They are the anvil to the angel's hammer. They are incorporeal (cant be seen or touched etc) because God did not want either heaven, purgatory or hell to gain too many souls and cause an imbalance in power through corrupting a syragh.   
>  No one (until a few chapters from now ;) ) knows how a syragh is brought to life, whether it is born or created. Or if there has only been one, or many in a long line.  
> They are said to be close to reapers as they are their only companions besides the many souls that are carried to their final destination. Others say it is because they are both Daughters to Death himself.
> 
> They are stronger than any angel, even an arch angel, and are supposed to be without emotion, always doling out judgement with absolute sincerity. Unbiased and true.
> 
> others say you cannot lie to a syragh, that they sense it and smite you for the offence.
> 
> who knows which stories are true, and which are gossip?
> 
> You will...soon enough.


End file.
